Summer Love

Things that go through my brain read a lot like news briefs from the radio these days. Wonder why? Ha, ha, ha. I have listened to a lot of NPR, it is true. I feel very informed, adequately alarmed, and cautiously hopeful for the future because of my news listening. And I like to pass on interesting things you may not hear other places.

Okay, this is why I love people. Since 1929, a giant red light has flashed on the Pittsburgh's skyline and spells out the name of the city. On July 4th, Tom Stepleton was watching fireworks with friends and realized there was a K in the morse code. It was not just an errant K...the spelling of Pittsburgh had become Pitetsbkrrh. On Monday, the name had become Tpebtsaurgh. They say the code still runs on 1930's technology. So, I'm thinking it is time for an upgrade.
NPR link: (there are You Tube videos of the blinking lights...and yes, I watched them) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106606968
I love this because a) Pittsburgh actually has a red light spelling out the city name, and b) someone actually knew what a K looked like in morse code.

[On the flip side...I don't love tourists and escalators. I thought maybe it was just a DC thing. Nope. It extends to all corners of the country.]

Other things I love this summer.
Convenience Stores. Yes, I love them. I am going to chalk it up to my drive across the country. But where else can you find only junk food, soda as far as the eye can see, snacks, and very interesting people? I find I feel compelled to stop at them now...even though my trips have not exceeded 2 hours one way thus far into my summer.

Almond Joys. This is linked to the above. When my dad shared an Almond Joy with me over the weekend, I forgot how tasty they were! AND he informed me they sell cookie versions of them. Though generally only at convenience stores. Thus, the conversation about c-stores. (And no, I have not found the cookie version yet, but I am actively looking).

21 Guns. The song (hence the italics), not actual guns. I ignore the blatant anti-war message [I will post about my views on our war(s) later...**]. I personalize the message to my own, personal, life. It speaks to me in a very bizarre way. A few songs have done so in the recent past...Viva la Vida, for example. 21 Guns is a bit depressing, so I won't quote any lines here. But, it is what it is.

Chex Mix. The kind you buy (I would never be ambitious enough to make it...). It is so good and has a much better zip than my old love, Goldfish. And I just realized a lot of my loves revolve around food. I promise I do not weigh 500 pounds yet...



**I am not pro-war (like I think war is an answer), but I am also not pro what Green Day is saying about war. I have other opinions I will share later, I am sure.

My Soap Box For The Day

I am sorry, but I just have to say it. $1.4 million for a funeral?!! Are you even kidding me with that? And from a state that is in such an economic mess that they had to issue IOU's to people! IOU's! I understand that Michael Jackson was a great musician. I really do and I appreciate his music and legacy to the musical industry. I value the creative process. I value the arts. Good job. But really? Coverage and tributes 24/7. We are fighting two wars, Iran and western China are in a bit of chaos, North Korea is lead by crazy town with nuclear capabilities, but please, lets focus on Michael Jackson every second of the day. My grandma was reduced to watching a dog show on tv because there was nothing but Michael Jackson coverage (and that was before his funeral/tribute)! I too like to escape this crazy time we are in, I really do. But consider this. We (myself included, don't you worry) love to hate Bush for the way America is viewed around the world. But $1.4 million for a musician's funeral. Could the rest of the world possibly dislike us for other reasons? And it is no wonder California is millions of dollars in debt.
[I am not supporting Bush, by the way, with the above comment. No worries, I could provide another post about Bush and how I feel about him. But I won't.]

Okay, I'm done. Sorry. I tried to refrain. But for me, someone who is just trying to make it through grad school, watching her family struggle in living honest, decent, good lives while trying to raise a kid, run a farm, and pursue their own creative ventures, it is just crazy to see the focus we give to music/sports/movie stars. How about a little attention to those giving their lives for our country, working to find cures for diseases, or participating in causes to help out the human race in very personal and real ways? I know...it is a soap box.

And understand that I do think Jackson deserves tribute and more than normal recognition. The bottom line is the over the topness of it all. But the media does overkill really well. I will always, in the end, blame it on the media! Ha... I won't even get started on Sarah Palin. Overkill. Okay, I'll just say one thing. She needs to disappear and quit talking. I am bound to never vote Republican again if they use her as their poster candidate. If she would just stop whining about being picked on! What did she expect?!!

Randomness

NPR tells me that the next “it” thing for movies will be making movies based on board games. I know… Who wants to see Monopoly on the bigscreen? However, as NPR reminded me, I will remind you: Remember Clue?

You think the internet is always going to be there for your news perusal, that you will be able to access it when you want and get what you want. But one person was able to cause internet sites to nearly overload and caused outages on some popular news sites. That person is, of course, Michael Jackson.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/06/26/michael.jackson.internet/index.html

And for things I did not know…Did you know Parley P. Pratt was murdered in Arkansas in a story full of drama? I am still a little fuzzy on how I missed this fact all my life. My dad didn’t quite know all the dramatic details either, so I feel okay.

Did you know Sir Isaac Newton at one time was also warden of the Royal Mint, and thus in charge of catching counterfeiters? Admittedly, I barely understand the science and physics behind why he is famous, but I do like to know randomness about people's lives!

Majoring In What We Need?

I had a friend mention the other day that she believed people major in what they need. Her example, she says, are the countless people who go into counseling and actually need counseling. I thought this was fascinating and immediately applied it to myself (When I tried it with things like my engineering majoring friends, or computer this or that, I started drawing blanks...go figure). Jenette's undergrad major: History. Jenette's grad major: Museum Studies. Is there something that draws me to these majors? Aside from the interest factor, I think there might be something to my friend's theory (for me, anyway...).

I am fascinated by the past. And particularly the material culture left by those in the past. You've heard the phrase, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." And so I ever so hopefully look to the past. But increasingly realize that the same mistakes are made over and over and over again--and often by cultures that study the past! Yet I am still fascinated. Fascinated enough to want to work in a museum where the aim is to NOT let go of the past. And so, here's the tie to my life... I am fascinated by my past. And I search my past trying to make sure I don't repeat the same mistakes, but anyone who has read my journal (which, incidentally, is no one but me), will see I repeat the same patterns over and over. And I don't let go. I don't let go of a lot of things I should. I wrote this little thing in 2004. It applies to my life in 2009 even more...

Letting Go
Holding on--until I cannot move
from what I thought would save me.
Fastened forever to an ideal that wasn't real--
Holding back from the beauty
that could be my life.
A flash of lightening--briefly--
exposes the mountains
To show me a new beginning.
But to get there,
I must let go.

So, amidst this lame attempt at poetry (?? ha--don't judge too harshly!), I find my dilemma. How do you learn, let go, remember, forget, and move forward, all at the same time? Impossible... but I am moving on from the year of two broken hearts and an uprooted life. Let's hope I have learned from the past.

Other random history quotes I found, which I enjoyed immensely:
"History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again."
--Kurt Vonnegut

"The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different."
--Aldous Huxley

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future."
--Alex Haley

"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging of the future but by the past. "
--Edward Gibbon

"We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."
--George Bernard Shaw

Fail

It may seem like I'm obsessed with Google, and I might be just a little bit, but Google failed me. Usually, I'm quite confident I can Google anything and within a few minutes I can find my answer. It is how I can have credibility when I give my dad a hard time for still relying on his trusty encyclopedia set. Or when I tell my mom, "Oh, yeah we can find out how to tie a quilt without knots on the internet." However, I was too over zealous. Because my quick usual searching methods left me without what I was looking for. And so now, I don't know where to go for answers! Oh, to be a product of the technological age! It's a good thing I learned some survival type skills (i.e. starting camp fires, milking cows, etc.) at the Heritage Center, just in case the world's technologies really fail.

(Oh, I started my internship at the Church History Museum. I want to share fun stories, but I'm scared. I signed some confidentiality paper and so I am lost. What will I talk about? My best stories always seemed to come from work! Actually, I think I'm fine. I am an intern, let's be honest. I will not be in on any secret meetings. Though, on the second day I was standing guard for an original Book of Mormon, handwritten Book of Commandments, and other such interesting Church stuff. Ha.)

Poor Choice of Road Trip Snacks

As I was cleaning Cornelius (my car) today, I realized I made some poor choices for road snacks late in my trip across the country. Junior mints and powdered donuts are examples of such bad choices. If the junior mints get loose (which one may have in my car), they melt into a puddle of chocolate, mint goo. And powdered donuts, well, that speaks for itself. Mind you, those were my poor choices in Wyoming. By that point in the road trip, I was tired of the trip and wasn't thinking clearly. Up until then, my packed at home chex mix, apples, granola bars, water, and cherry tomatoes had served me very well (oh, and diet coke...well! I traveled over 2,000 miles after all!). I had cheerfully weathered the rain of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and the miles of nothingness of Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. I got to spend some quality time thinking about my life. But by Wyoming, for some reason I thought, "Hey, powdered donuts! That is an excellent idea!" Ha. Not quite.

My Perfect Evening

Someone asked me this evening what I would do on my own free time in the evening (this was to gather what it is that I like to do). Right now at this time in my life? I asked. Yes. Homework. And for breaks I would do my chores, like grocery shop, do laundry, etc. But obviously, as much as I love school, this is not how I would voluntarily spend my time. So, anything in the world, how would I love to spend my evening, this evening? Maybe we always want what we can't have, but here is what my perfect evening would be:

I would come home from work (developing exhibits and educational programming, of course!), with my commute being no longer than a half hour. After some dinner and relaxation (Maybe write! Or read for fun!! How earth shattering!) I would breathe in the crisp spring air, throw on my walking shoes and head for the River Trail in Logan Canyon. Nothing grand, nothing monumental. A simple walk along the Logan River. That would be the perfect evening. The sound of the water, the birds and the smell of the fresh air and trees. And then, after the sun had set, and I was relaxing with friends, I would step outside to look at the stars. It has been too long since I have really seen the stars.

(Yes I am aware these are pictures of the Wind Caves Hike. I, sadly enough, do not have any of the River Trail that I could find quickly!! I will remedy that this summer...But it IS Logan Canyon. Close enough.)

I guess I will find a Logan Canyon/River Trail here in my new life. But to experience nature, alone, with relatively minimal people is something I miss. (I miss it so much, I am doing my entire exhibit on open space. Ha.) To be sure, there are chances for outdoor things here. It is all just so used. I can't think of a better word...but there are so many people, things just look worn out, from the city to nature. I am guessing I just haven't searched hard enough (a Logan Canyon equivalent is most certainly NOT 15 min away here...). I will find it; until then, I have my hope of the perfect evening.

[Please don't misinterpret what I am saying... I really like it here. I love the trees and the green and the moisture and the monuments at night and the hustle and bustle of the city and the amazing people I have met. But, if I am honest, I just want a simple walk along the Logan River.]